Improved defensive armor



UNITED VSTATES PATENT OEEICE.

CHARLES HODGE HUDSON, OF ROXBURY, MASSACHUSETTS.

IMPROVED DEFENSIVE ARMOR.

Specification forming part of Letters Patent- No. 471,426, datcd September' 2T, 1864.

To all whom lt may concern:

Be it known that I, CHARLES HODGE HUD-4 soN, of the city of Roxbury, in the county of Norfolk and State of Massachusetts, have invented a Defensive Armor; and I do hereby declare that the following, taken in connection with the drawing which accompanies and forms part of this specification, is a description ot' my invention sufficient to enable those skilled in the art to p 1actice it.

My invention relates to a new defensive ar mor, designed for and having peculiar adaptation to naval vessels, but which is also applicable to all kinds of fortiiication's, including iioatin g batteries for harbor defense.

My invention consists in the introduction of water between heavy metallic armor and its support in such a manner that the Water shall form a perfectly-fitting and practically incompressible backing to the plates, which back ing by its mobility will diffuse the received impact of projectiles over a large area of the skin and frame of a vessel or other support of the armor, and will react equally in all directions, thus preserving intact the fastenings of the armor-plates, (other than those directly inipinged upon,) and limitingl the effect of the projectile on the plate to an indenture, puncture, or perforation not greatly extended beyond the immediate locality ofthe impact.

lily invention is based upon two ofthe wellknown properties of water-viz., its almost total incompressibility, and its mobility-Which properties are utilized in theA employment of the water backing, the lirst (by reason ofthe perfectly-fitting backing to aid and re-enforce the armorvplating in its resistance to the proing the force received equally in all directions.

It is now known that sufficiently heavy projectiles, having great velocity, penetrate in some degree the thickest armor-plates yet applied to vessels, and shatter the support of the armor. This result upon the armor-sup port is dueto the direct transmission of the projectile through the material of the plate, and to the cohesion of the particles ofthe plate, which transmits the force in the direction of the line ofthe projectiles flight over but small area ofthe support, not transfusin g this force over a large areaof the support, as f does the water backing. To avoid this concentrated destructive effect upon the surface or frame supporting the armor and upon the fastenings of the armor, and to obtain a dcfensive armor the weight or part of which does not require to be cariied at all times, which change of weightcan be made available both in offense and in defense, and to prevent the outward bending of the plates, caused by the yielding of the wooden or other soft compressible backing, which bending result-s in violent strains upon the fastenings of the armor, are among the advantages attained by my invention.

In applying my invention to existing wooden vessels, I propose to cover so much ot their surfa( e as is likely to be exposed to the action of projectiles with what may be termed a oonnected system or series of iron or steel tanks, the outer plates of which shall be of considerable thicknesssay siX inches, more or less, according to the angle at which they are likely to be strlick--Said tanks being provided with means for lling them with and emptying them of water at will, by pumps or otherwise.

Provision may be made in the system of water-conduits connected with the tanks or cells, by which any or all of them may be filled or emptied, and so also that when the integrity of one or any of them is destroyed this shall not empty the rest, or any of them, of their contents.

In connection with wooden vessels it may not in all cases be necessary to make an iron backing to the cells or tanks, as the wooden surface ofthe ship may be made to act for the water being inclosed) alording a firm and back surface otv the tank 5 but I do not recommend this plan, as the working and straining I of wooden vessels would be very apt to oc grcss of a projectile, and the latter distributcasion an inconvenient amount of l lakagc of the water backing or filling out from behind the metallic armor. But in iron vessels al ready made the skin or outer surface 1 ,ay

frames` and the partitions and fastenings connected with the heavy metallic armor are so arranged as to support the armor at some distance from the skin and frame.

Under some circumstances the `Water between the metallic armor and the vessel may be retained there under pressure greater than that due to its Weight, which condition it is expected will add tothe eiciency of its re-enforcing ei'ect upon the `metallic armor.

Among the advantages not before enumerated, dependentupon or arising from my invention, it may be mentioned that the Water will rapidly conduct and dissipate theheat generated by the impact of projectiles on the metallic armer.

Description of the drawing- This shows a cross-section ot a vessel embodying my invention, one side showingan open deck surround ed by a bulwax k, and the other side showing the close or roofed construction. Where the deck is open, as illustrated on one side of the drawing, it may be protected by armor-plates supported by the framed deck, and at some distance above it, so as to leave a space for Water backing. On each side of the Vessel the metallic plates forming the armor are shown set off from the hull so as toleavespaee for the Water backing, and on both sides the armor is shown as thickest where nearest vertical, and diminishing in thickness as the sides become inclined'. On both sides ofthe bottom the armoris shown as terminating beyond the turn of the bilge, while on one side it is bounded at the top of the bulwark, and on the other it is represented as continuing so as to form a closed or roofed or casemate vessel.

Having described my invention, I claim- 1. The method herein described, of re-enforcing or backing heavy metallic ships armor, at pleasure, by introducing Water into chambers between the outward armor-plating and the inner Wall of the hull, to prepare the vessel for action, and discharging the water from said chambers when the vessel is not eX- posedv to danger from projectiles, substantiall y as and for the purposes herein described.

2. The aforesaid method of re-entorcing or backing heavy metallic armor, vvhenapplied to forts andbatteries, substantially as and for the purposes herein described.

CHARLES HODGE HUDSON.

Witnesses:

J. B. GRosBY, R. H. MATHIES. 

